Hydrodealkylation of alkylaromatic hydrocarbons



2 SheetS-Shee t INVENTORS JOHN W. PAYNE EDWARD J MOLL,JR

ATTORNEY Nov' 29, 1966 W. PAYNE ET AL HYDRODEALKYLATON OF ALKYLAROMATc HYDROCARBONS F11ed June 27, 1963 Nov. 29, 1966 PAYNE ET AL 3,288,875

HYDRODEALKYLATON OF ALKYLAROMATC HYDROCARBONS F11ed June 27 1965 2 Sheet3-Sheet 2- ]OHN w. PAYNE EDWARD J. MOLL, JR`

ATTORNEY Inited Sttes Patent 'The pfesent invention relates to an improved Inethd for carrying out chemical Teactions of a continuous Ilature in the vapor or gaseous phase under Substantially uniform conditions Tesulting fron1 thorough, Tapid Tnixing and circlllation of the charge and the Teaction mix ture; it is pafticularly Tecommended for the thermal dealky1ati011 0f a1kylaT01atic c0mpounds Iets 0f uidS have long been employed for aspirating and transporting other uids and also in overc0m-ing substantial pressure diiferences For example, Steam ejectors are employed to maintain Inoderate1y high vacuums on condensers in Steam plants, etc. by withdra-ving or aspirating a liquid condensate and any un condensed gases against atn08pheric pfessure While Such aspirating jet devices have proven very useful by reason of their10vv cost, SiInplicity and tro11ble-free operation, it iS vve11 Tecognized that theif Inechanica1 eiiciency iS quite 10Wusuauy vvell below 10 )ercent A variety 0f devices have been roposed for the intimate m`ixing of gaseous reactants inside Teaction veS- Sels' Fans and other nechanical impelle1 S Were emp10yed in a number of these, and it is apparent that Inuch of the prior art equipment iS not s[1itable for eX POSure t0 the high ten1peratures vhich are encountered in many processes. In addition, it will be apprec iated that IT1any of these earlier devices, especially those hav ing internal moving arts, must be Shut down at Tegular intervals for Servicing, repair Or Teplacenent.

The pr0cess of this invention has especia1 I1til'ity in the hig11 tempefature, ex0thern1ic dealkylation of alky1 aronatic hydrocarbons by reason of the inlproved control of Teaction temperatures, It is I1OW ossible to carry out these Teactions Without the f0rmation of coke and in sonle cases, using more dicult feed Stocks than wefe heret0fore considered Suitable. For exanple, in the roduction of naphthalene fron1 its precurs0rs, feed Stocks With end b0iling points above 52 F and containing substantial amounts of n0nar0matic nornally liquid hydfocarbons (paraHins, naphthenes, and olefins) have been av0ided because satisfactorily high yields could not be obtained Without exceSSiVe coking. Cracking of the nonT0matic hydfocarbons and hydrogenati0n of the cracked fragments released a considerab1y greater amount of heat in an a1ready highly exothermic reaction' Even il1 the production Of benzene froIn t01uene and hydrogen, he overall heat Telease aInounts t0 about 2200 B t l1 er In01 0f toluene Converted, Which is Suicient in theory t0 Taise the Teaction temperatufe under Stoichionetric conditions about 360 F A heat level of at least about 1100 F. (above about 1200 iI1 producing naphthalene) is desired to provide a Teasonab1y fast reaction rate, and temperatures higher than 1200 are preferred. II0vvever, telnperatures above about 1400 F( are unacceptable as the product begins to crack and hydrogenation of the fragments Teleases additional large quantities of heat that may easily result in Tunaway temperatures along With the Tapid and undesirable dep0sition 0f coke in the equipn1ent T0 av0id this, it haS been found desirable in the operation of conventiona1 adiabatic reactors With straight through OW O emp10y large excesses of hydfogen, for example a 700 percent s0ichi0metric excess, in a TeneTy gas con- Patented Nov. 29, 1966 taining an approximately equal v01ume of methane and 0ther light hydr0carbons in the gase0us charge t0 )re vent coke formation and serve as a heat Teserv0ir for Tnoderating the temperature Tise' With such feed mixtures the telnperature rise for a high toluene conversion may Still aInount to F. 01' more, Even With this dilution of the feed, Tunaway conditions and coking may occasionany occur as it iS Very easy to pTeheat the feed a little t00 much and thus raise the maximum Teaction temperature above 1400 F' ^AIS0 the uSe Of large ex cesses 0f hydrogen and diluent gases increases the c0mpression and preheating costs c0nsiderably While S10Wing the Teaction rates by the dilution of the Teactants.

The temperature control 0f the instant pr0cess enables one t0 av0id the catastr0ph'ic corf0sion k10Wn as "Inetal dusting" Which has been observed in a number of stain 1eSS Steels during the hydrodealkylation of Some charge Stocks at temperatures above 1300 F.

^'`I object ()f the invention is to rovide better cOn tr010f Teaction temperatures and reaction Tates in gaseous hase Teactions' An0ther object of the invention iS to prevent excessive react-ion temperatures in exothermic gaseous phase Te actions A fllrther object Of the invention is t0 provide In0re uniform te[nperatures and reaction rates in gaseous phase Teactions throughout the entire Teaction zone' Still another object of the invention iS to '1)TOVide a method for dealkylating a1ky1naphthalenes Without Sub Stantial fornlation of coke.

Yet another object of the invention is to mininlize the preheating of reactants outside of the Teaction vessel A Still further object of the invention is to minimize the need for highly heat-Tesistant equ-ipment in a high temperature pr0cess for the c0nversion of gaseous Inaterials An0ther object of the inventi0n is to increase the effective residence tifne Within the reaction zone by Substantially instantane0us1y heating a charge therein from a temperatufe Substantially below a feasible Teaction tem perature to an average reaction temperature Suitable for conln1ercia1 purposes.

-Still an0ther object of the invention iS to provide an adiabatic pr0cess for the exothern1ic Teaction of gaseous materials in vvhich Substantially isothermal condit'i0n8 are attained.

()ther objects and advantages in the invention vvill be apparent to those Skilled in the art upon consideration 0f he detailed disc10sure Which fonows.

I`l1e above and O her benetS of the invention are obtained by the continuous process described hefein vvhich inv01ves preheating a charge comprising hydr0gen and a n0rmally liquid hydrocarbon feed stock containing a Substantial amount of naphthalene pfecursof Ilaterial and more than about 10% by vveight Of non-aromatic hydr0carbons and having an end b0iling p0int Substantially above SZS F' in which the quantity of hydrogen amounts 0 between about 8400 and Zl,000 StandaTd cubic feet per barrel of Said Hquid feed Stock, injecting Said preheated charge in gaseous form into a c10sed Te action vessel aS a jet having an initial ve10city between about 100 and 80 feet per second to induc6 apid and thorough Inixing Of the reaction Tnixture in Said vessel and maintain t he Teaction temperatures throughout said vessel Substantia11y constant Within 20 F Of a preselected hydrodealkylation Teaction teinperature but not be10w a bout 1200 F. and not above about 1400 F nlaintaining Said vesse1 under a Substantially c0nstant reaction pressure of between about 250 and 800 p-s.i.g., and withdrawing Said reaction mixture from said vessel as the dealkylation pr0duct at a Tate COTresponding t0 the rate 0f introducing Said charge therein ()thel' aspects voluInes of air ecic13ted into centra1 tube per v0lue Of esh al ix1jected.

TA LE Iv Nozzle Centra1 Tube Net Re' E. cir( Di31 PrBsS. `low ve10city, ve10city, Flow, Ratio in. s i' s.cf '1il' t'Sec' ft 'sec. s.c.f./Inin.

in. p s i. S'c..'I1i1. ft,/Sec. ft./Sec. S.( .f /1Ili1.

Fr0In the above thfee tables, it iS Teadily apparent that a high vel0city ar jet produces unexpectedly great Inixing of the gaseou8 contents of al1 endless channel in the vessel as evidenced by Setting up high and turbulent Ows of about S to IS volumes of Tecirculated air per v0lume of ail injected. '1 'his iS Surpfising ill vievv of the generally 10W emciency of jet injectors and eject0rs, and it is attfibute(i t0 the fact that the present jet in inducing ciT- culation is not vvorking against suction 01' any other Sig 11ificant pressure dierence inasln11ch as the Static pressure is Substantia1ly uniform throughout the vessel. Such high recirculation and the Tesulting tufbulence are the reasons vvhy the Tange 0f Teaction ten1peratures iS SO narrow in gaseous phase reactions en1p10ying the internal recycle pfinciple described herein' The ratios of the effective CTOSS Sectional areas of the circulatio1 channel and the n0zzle (0fce) are set by equipnxent design at preferably between about :l and 600:I for large Scale 0perations A Substantially unob- Sructed channel vvith Teasonably sfnooth vvalls in area Tati0 10Wer than that range vvill create excessive vva11 friction retarding the 0W too fnuch for a suitable nozzle velocity I11 view of the slight static pres311re di {ferentials throughout the reaction zone and the dificuty in measufing them accurately, especiany under high tem erature conditions, this n1ininun1 Tati0 0f about 301 is a cOnvenent ractical indication of the Inaxin1un1 acceptable pressure dTop in the circulating Teaction 1i(ture resulting from t11e frictional Tesistance of the vvalls of the passages in the reactor. 'I`he upper end of the range iS not particularly critica1 but Tatios higher than 600:l do not economically utilize the pfoduction capacity of the Teactof.

For any given fate of feed, at least Within those afea relationships, the SInaller the n0zzle the greater the nozzle velocity and a1SO the gfeater the recirculati011 ratio II0vvever, Inore povver is consuIned by larger pressure drops through the smaller nozzles. For commercia1 0perations no advantage iS Seen in exceeding a n()Zle ve10city of about 80 feet per Second. In order to maintain Sucient circulation by Tecirculating a v0lume of reaction mixture at least S0mewhat greater than the charge injection Tate 

1. A CONTINUOUS PROCESS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF NAPTHALENE BY THERMAL HYDRODEALKYLATION WHICH COMPRISES PREHEATING A CHARGE COMPRISING HYDROGEN AND A NORMALLY LIQUID HYDROCARBON FEED STOCK CONTAININGG A SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNT OF NAPHTHALENE PRECURSOR MATERIAL AND MORE THAN ABOUT 10% BY WEIGHT OF NONAROMATIC HYDROCARBONS AND HAVING AN END BOILING POINT SUBSTANTIALLY ABOVE 525*F. IN WHICH THE QUANTITY OF HYDROGEN AMOUNTS TO BETWEEN ABOUT 8400 AND 21,000 STANDARD CUBIC FEET PER BARREL OF SAID LIQUID FEED STOCK, INJECTING SAID PREHEATED CHARGE IN GASEOUS FORM INTO A CLOSED REACTION VESSEL AS A JET HAVING AN INITIAL VELOCITY BETWEEN ABOUT 100 AND 850 FEET PER SECOND TO INDUCE RAPID AND THROUGH MIXING OF THE REACTION MIXTURE IN SAID VESSEL AND MAINTAIN THE REACTION TEMPERATURES THROUGHOUT SAID VESSEL SUBSTANTIALLY CONSTANT WITHIN 20*F. OF A PRESELECTED HYDRODEALKYLATION REACTION TEMPERATURE BUT NOT BELOW ABOUT 1200*F. AND NOT SUBSTANABOUT 1400*F., MAINTAINING SAID VESSEL UNDER A SUBSTANTIALLY CONSTANT REACTION PRESSURE OF BETWEEN ABOUT 250 AND 800 P.S.I.G., AND WITHDRAWING SAID REACTION MIXTURE FROM SAID VESSEL AS THE DEALKYLATION PRODUCT AT A RATE CORRESPONDING TO THE RATE OF INTRODUCING SAID CHARGE THEREIN. 